Monterey Bay

This Weekend’s Top Events: April 15-17, 2011

All Weekend

Over 50,000 hardcore bicycle racers and enthusiasts will unite at the 21st annual Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Recreation Area this weekend. This four-day event will be packed with competitive events, recreational rides and will host one of the largest bicycle expos in the world! Spectators will be thrilled with mountain bike races including downhill, cross country, dual slalom and short track. Road cyclist events include criterium, road and circuit races, plus a pro elite road stage race. The Gran Fondo and Mountain Bike recreational tour offer three fully supported rides: a 20-mile Mountain Bike route, a 49-mile Coastal route, and a 96-mile Carmel Valley route. Routes start and finish at Laguna Seca on Saturday, April 16th. Don’t miss out on the largest bike expo in North America where you will find over 300 exhibitors with everything from clothing, equipment and the latest in bike technology. Bring the kids along as they can choose from a variety of activities including a carnival, Sea Otter Egg Hunt, and even a bike play zone. April 14-17, 2011, Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey. $12 one-day festival pass, $30 four-day festival pass, children 12 and under are admitted for free.

Other All-Weekend Events

Spring is in the air! The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History will host the 50th annual Wildflower Show all weekend long. Over 600 wildflower and plant species will be on display which makes it the largest wildflower collection in the Western Hemisphere. Attendees can also enjoy basket-weaving demonstrations, tours of the museum’s native plant garden and arts-and-crafts for the kids. 10am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday, 165 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove. Free for museum members, $5 for general public. Need a good laugh? Then check out Forbidden Broadway playing at the Golden Bough Theatre in Carmel-by-the-Sea. This hilarious show spoofs several plays made famous on Broadway. Show begins at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Golden Bough Theatre, Monte Verde and 8th St., Carmel-by-the-Sea. $7-$38. The Monterey Symphony will delight the audience with works from Sibelius' The Swan of Tuonela, Dubensky's Concerto Grosso for Three Trombones and Tuba, and Ginastera's Variaciones concertantes. Guests will have two chances to the catch the show, Saturday at the Steinbeck Institute of Arts and Culture in Salinas and Sunday at the Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Click here to purchase tickets. 7pm, Saturday, Steinbeck Institute of Arts and Culture, 940 Main St., Salinas. $20-$39. 4pm, Sunday, Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea. $38-$78.

Friday

Enjoy a free walking tour of Pacific Grove’s best art venues and businesses during the Wine, Art and Music Walk. Stores will keep their doors open to flaunt their best pieces. 6pm-9pm, 584 Central Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. Jam out at Jose’s Underground Lounge with indie rock band March into Paris. 8pm, 638 Wave St., Monterey. Rock out with local group Bog Iron for some hardcore Celtic Rock music at Bullwacker’s tonight. 8:30pm, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. No cover.

Saturday

Celebrate Earth Day at Locke-Paddon Park in Marina. Booths will be set up to teach the public about healthy and sustainable lifestyles. Volunteers who assist with the restoration of the area will receive a free lunch and entertainment. 9am-1pm, Seaside Circle and Del Monte Blvd., Marina. Free admission. Fisherman’s Wharf will be center stage for an afternoon of entertainment! Reggae band Jonah and the Whalewatchers will delight the crowd in an outdoor concert. 3:30pm-7pm, Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. Free admission. Head out on a specialty Marine Mammals Babies & Behavior Tour cruise from Elkhorn Slough Safari. Spring is the perfect time to see harbor seal mothers and their pups. Reservations are strongly recommended, 831-633-5555. 4pm, Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing. $42. The Monterey History and Maritime Museum will host a special concert from the Carmel Classic Guitar Society. Tonight’s performance will feature classical guitarist Evan Hirshelman, Jazz-Latin flutist Andrea Brachfeld and Phoenix Rising. 7pm, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $10-$20. Enjoy music from composers Sibelius, Dubensky and Ginastera made possible by The Monterey Symphony. Guests will have two chances to the catch the show, Saturday at the Steinbeck Institute of Arts and Culture in Salinas and Sunday at the Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Click here to purchase tickets. 7pm, Saturday, Steinbeck Institute of Arts and Culture, 940 Main St., Salinas. $20-$39. Monterey County Weekly’s Best Band of 2009 and 2010, Cheeky Spanks, will entertain with a blast from the past! The group will perform oldies, blues and classic rock tonight at Bullwacker’s. 8:30pm, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. No cover. Big Sur local band Songs Hotbox Harry Taught Us will play with a country folk flair at the Fernwood Tavern tonight! 9pm, 47200 Highway One, Big Sur. No cover. Bluegrass band Microtonic Harmonic will be celebrating the release of their new CD at London Bridge Pub tonight. Listen to them jam in a variety of styles including reggae, funk, classical and Celtic. 9:30pm, Wharf #2, Monterey. No cover.

Sunday

Pacific Grove will be the backdrop for today's Multiple Sclerosis 5K fundraiser walk. Walk MS will begin and end at Lover's Point Park with light snacks and entertainment at the finish line. 8am registration, Lover's Point Park, Pacific Grove. No fee. The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District will venture on a 3-4 mile hike to Veeder Pond. Hikers can take in breathtaking views of the pond, surrounding meadow and Redwood Canyon on the East Ridge trail. 10am, East Garzas Trailhead. The Monterey Symphony will delight the audience with works from Sibelius' The Swan of Tuonela, Dubensky's Concerto Grosso for Three Trombones and Tuba, and Ginastera's Variaciones concertantes. Click here to purchase tickets. 4pm, Sunday, Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea. $38-$78.

Author: Allyson Ryan

As the Content Marketing Manager at the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Allyson manages digital marketing and social media for SeeMonterey. If she's not taking scenic pictures around the county, you are likely to find her on the Monterey Bay Coastal Rec Trail, sipping wine in Carmel Valley, or hiking in Big Sur.